Benny and Mary’s opened two years ago at the Irvine Towers office campus, replacing Davio’s which opened in 2018 and closed in 2020 due to the pandemic. The concept is from restaurateur duo Cynthia Vigil and Chad Reinhardt.
Normally open for lunch and dinner, and weekend brunch, the restaurant recently extended the brunch menu. It’s now available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and weekends until 3 p.m.
It’s an extensive menu. There are classics like biscuits and gravy, steak and eggs and a breakfast burrito; three versions of chilaquiles, including one with ribeye; avocado toast; four versions of eggs benedict; plus pancakes, waffles and French toast.
We decided to go the decadent route and start by sharing the short rib chilaquiles with tortilla chips, tangy tomatillo, Monterey jack cheese, queso fresco, onions, cilantro, crema and two eggs over easy.
My dining partner and I had been craving acai pancakes, but the pancakes on the menu came with a choice of strawberries or whipped cream, so she asked if they could make an acai pancake instead of the acai waffle on the menu.
Asked and received—no better sign of great hospitality.
“There is an additional charge, but I think it’s 100 percent worth it, because you get fresh fruit with a thick but airy and soft pancake and it’s garnished with honey, granola and powdered sugar,” my dining partner, Malena Gordon, said with a smile. “The fruit is strawberries, blackberries and blueberries. I would order this again and again.”
I opted for the Santa Barbara benedict with smoked salmon, red onion and capers on top of a split English muffin, two Vital Farms poached eggs and hollandaise sauce.
Without a doubt one of the best benedicts, I have had. The smoked salmon was the perfect flavor to accompany the eggs and sauce, and I eagerly ate every bite.
There are so many tempting dishes on the brunch menu that I’ll be spending many mornings eating my way through the Benny and Mary’s brunch menu.
Benny and Mary’s, 18420 Von Karman Ave., #100, Irvine, (714) 439-1733, bennyandmarys.com.
